Chris Paul Starts All 82 Games for Spurs, 1st in NBA History to Reach Mark in Year 20

Veteran point guard Chris Paul added another impressive feat to his long list of accolades.

By starting for the San Antonio Spurs in Sunday's regular-season finale against the Toronto Raptors, Paul became the first player in NBA history to start all 82 games in his 20th year in the league.

Paul is one of 11 players to play all 82 games this season:

Paul has started 82 games just one other time in his career, in 2014-15 when he was with the Los Angeles Clippers. The 39-year-old is in his first year with a young San Antonio team, and he was a model of consistency amid a tumultuous year.

The Spurs had to endure the loss of star center Victor Wembanyama, who was ruled out for the season after 46 games due to the discovery of deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder. He was averaging 24.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.1 steals and 3.8 blocks in his sophomore season before being sidelined.

Legendary head coach Gregg Popovich suffered a mild stroke in November and has been away from the team for most of the season. Still, the team carried a 33-48 record into Sunday's season finale, a slight improvement from the 22-60 finish to the 2023-24 campaign.

Paul's accomplishment gives San Antonio something to celebrate. The longtime floor general leads the team with an average of 7.4 assists while also adding 8.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. While this won't be the year that he earns the NBA championship that has eluded him throughout his career, he still should be proud that he provided leadership and consistency to a young squad.